The Misbegotten Diet

Much like bakers who can accurately measure out a pound of flour using the heft as a guide instead of a scale, I can usually tell if Mr. N has lost or gained weight by picking him up. He seemed a little heavier than normal and so said the scale. I consulted with the vet who concurred and said she wanted him back at his pre-winter weight. So he went on a diet which he did not approve of.

Because of his dental last year (and growing out shaved legs), he was probably the fluffiest hair-wise he has been for a long while. Well he got groomed and lost almost a half-pound of hair. Who would have thought the extra hair would weigh so much? He is back to his normal weight. And demands restitution.

If only all our diets were that simple.

Urban Dog Walking

Mr. N at Director Park

Every time we visit family in the suburbs, I'm reminded of how much more taxing it can be for urban dogs to walk in the city. I had to return some items to a dog-friendly store downtown so I took Mr. N with me. 

In our time downtown, we ran into scores of people and dogs, cops on horses, the light rail, a guide dog in training who was out on a socialization outing, street musicians and more. Tons of different sounds and smells and sights.When we're walking in the suburbs, we might see three or four people and a dog or two out walking during the course of an hour. Urban walking requires a lot out of dogs and their people.

I have to be extra careful that Mr. N does not get stepped on and I will pick him up and carry him if we are walking on a crowded sidewalk. There is also a lot more trash on the ground including foods that are dangerous to dogs and broken glass and needles to look out for. And this is Portland so there's always people in costumes or weird garb or otherwise odd and strange to dogs. 

Mr. N is used to tagging along with me around the city so most things he takes in his stride. He is crazy obsessed with horses but I made sure we stayed under his threshold (15 - 20ft?) and we did a little desensitization work. And he behaved himself. We were able to eat lunch from the food carts in the same little square the mounted police were patrolling. The guide dog puppy was also working on socializing and not reacting to the horses although he was much more blase about it than Mr. N.

At Director Park, we ran through a few tricks and practiced his stay amid distractions and the crowd. The table next to us was charmed by Mr. N's antics and invited him over to say hello to everyone. All the socializing made him decide that he needed a nap when we got home.

How does your dog do with urban distractions?

Extreme Weather Conditions and Dog Walking

Portland weather can can be mercurial but there are a limited number of modes: raining, cloudy and sun. During our recent trip to the Midwest, Mr. N experienced all sorts of weather during the week we were there. A gorgeous sunny day with gusty winds that threatened to blow him away. An adventurous bathroom break in the middle of a thunderstorm. Rain with a twist of hail which had us stuffing him under a jacket and making a run for it. We narrowly avoided snow by a few days. 

What's the worst weather you walked your dog in? 

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Taken in the "misting" stage before it started pouring

Portland is notorious for rain but we've been having even more of a wet deluge than normal. Normally, it mists. But we've been getting full-out rain and it's quite miserable for the pup. We walk every day pretty much despite the weather and Mr. N comes home a soggy mess despite wearing a rain coat. He has hair not fur so no insulation at all. 

We met up with Sage this past week to let the dogs run and Mr. N was positively soaked from head to tail. Even he decided he needed a bath and he followed me into the kitchen (where I bathe him in the sink) which he never does.

It has been adding extra time to walk time because I have to get him dressed, undress him, wash his paws/legs/tail/belly, dry him, heat up something warm for him to eat, throw the coat in the washer and rinse off his leash and my shoes.

We're traveling this weekend so I hope the rain doesn't follow us. Do you have any tips to deal with walking in the rain? 

Hounds and their Noses and Meeting up with My Life with Dogs PDX

After what seemed like forty days and forty nights of rain, there was finally a clear spot in the forecast and we headed to 1000 Acres to meet up with another blog friend. My Life with Dogs PDX brought her dog Sherman to hike with Mr. N. He is always thrilled to go running about with new dog pals. 

Sherman was a little shy at first but he warmed up to Mr. N and the two of them were playing chase in the meadow after a while. We took more of the wooded trails than usual to avoid the large groups of dogs congregating on the busier trails. 

Then we went down to the river and far from getting cleaner, the dogs just got dirtier. The dogs found a particular spot in the mud that must have smelled entrancing because they both took turns rolling in it. Mr. N in particular looked like Pig-Pen afterwards. More dirt than dog.

Mr. N went home to a well-deserved bath. He says hanging out with hounds is great because they find the stinkiest smells!

Children's Games for Dogs

Watching dogs play is often reminiscent of watching children play. They like to play the same games and often require the same amount of policing. 

Mr. N and Sage like to expend their energy by playing tag. Mr. N prefers to be "it." Whenever Sage is running, you'll see Mr. N right behind her. Just biding his moment to tackle her and declare victory.

Hide and seek is also a favorite. Their strong sense of smell makes the game easier so they like to "disguise" their scent by rolling in various disgusting things. 

Mr. N and Sage defend their fort from all invaders. Canine or equine or human! 

Much like children though, the most popular game is "it's mine!" If Sage finds a stick, Mr. N immediately claims it as his. Sage usually waits until Mr. N tires of it and then steals it back. 

Which games do your dogs like to play?

Double Decker Log

The log had a perfect spot for Mr. N to pose. We didn't want Sage to be left out so we had her jump on top. Perfect double decker log for the two of them.

Which perfect spots have you found for your dog to pose?

You Spin My Head Right Round, Right Round

Mr. N says this is his stick. He stole it rightfully from Sage. And he is going to hang onto it even if he spins right round, right round! It's almost like flying with his paws all off the ground. 

English Prepositions and Dog Poses or Useful Prepositions for Your Dog to Know to Pose Perfectly

People often tell me that Mr. N totally understands English. In order to demonstrate his English skills, he is going to explain prepositions in relation to dog poses.

On

Being on a surface. Useful for posing on logs, statues, benches, trees etc.

Through

Things with a top, bottom, and sides. Locations for poses include tunnels, tree roots, people's legs, and playground fixtures. 

In

Inside a vehicle, place, item etc. Perfect for showing off your dog's travel itinerary.  

By/Next to

Left/right of somebody or something. Necessary for multiple dog poses, posing with other species. 

Under

Lower than something else. Furniture is ideal as is showing off your dog's crawl skills. 

Over

Getting to the other side or surmounting an obstacle. Trick poses work well for these like hoops, and jumps. 

Photo by Grace W.

To

Movement from one place/person to another. Great for action shots. 

Photo by Grace W.

Does your dog have a favorite preposition pose?

Tug-of-War Against Nature

Sage and Mr. N playing tug-of-war against nature (i.e. a tree root). Who will win?

#MixItUp with Instinct® Raw Boost® Mixers and Add Raw to Your Dog's Diet

If Mr. N were King of the Forest, he would decree that all dogs be fed raw. Sadly (for him anyway), he is not. He declines to eat kibble and has been thriving on raw food. Raw-fed dogs can experience benefits like better digestion, healthy skin and coat, and more energy and vitality. But feeding raw can be time-consuming and burdensome and take over all your freezer space. Especially if you don't have a separate chest freezer, even for small dogs like Mr. N.

This post is sponsored by Instinct® and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Instinct® Raw Boost® Mixers but Tenacious Little Terrier only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Instinct is not responsible for the content of this article.

If you want to try out raw food without sacrificing all your freezer space, Instinct® Raw Boost® Mixers is an easy way to add raw to your dog's diet. It is grain-free, gluten-free and can be used as a mixer or topper for your dog's normal canned or dry food. No need to add water. You can check out their website HERE. 

At Petsmart, Mr. N's nose led him right to the raw food section. The Raw Boost mixers are located with the other Instinct products, next to the freezer. It comes in three different sizes (1 oz, 6 oz, 14 oz). The trial-sized bags are great for picky pups like You-Know-Who and are 1.99 each or 3 for $5. The large bags are currently on sale for 20 percent off. The protein choices include chicken, beef, turkey and lamb for dogs and rabbit and chicken for cats. We picked up a bag of the lamb for Mr. N. I like to rotate proteins as much as possible and lamb is the hardest out of those to find.

We first started feeding freeze-dried raw as a convenient way to feed raw during travel. The Raw Boost Mixers are handy for travel as you just open the bag and serve. You store them at room temperature and they're good to go. Mr. N will taste test the food and give his gourmand opinion in a few weeks. I hope to train a new trick with them as well. 

Are you thinking about adding raw food to your dog's diet or do you feed raw already? You can learn more about Instinct on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Nature's Variety. The opinions and text are all mine.

Sojos Simply Lamb Freeze-Dried Dog Treats Review (Chewy.com)

So close and yet so far. Mr. N thinks it's not nice to taunt little dogs especially right before Christmas. He keeps threatening to tell Santa. 

He also thinks it's very unfair that Zoe from ZoePhee is trying to steal his treats and his spotlight! Especially when they're his favorite type. Treats that is. 

This post was sponsored by Chewy. They are not responsible for the contents of this article. All opinions expressed are our own. 

Mr. N loves meat. And this is all these treats are.  Sojos Simply Lamb treats from Chewy.com are 100 percent raw freeze-dried lamb. He approves. They're good for training and breaking up into small rewards. They can be a little greasy in parts.

He is willing to pose for awkward group photos for them.

Here I think he has a slightly crazed look in his eye from trying to eat all the treats before the other dogs can get to them.

The Five Stages of A Dog Bath (Yorkie Splash and Shine Review)

Denial:

Yes, I am hideously dirty and have rolled in horse poop and have mud all over my legs but surely I won't need a bath right? 

Anger:

This isn't fair. How could this happen to me? I bet Sage isn't getting a bath. You will pay for this.

Bargaining:

Look how cute I am! I'm not that dirty! See? I don't need a bath. I'll be extra good all day if I don't get a bath! I'll even eat all my vegetables! 

Depression: 

I'm doomed, so why bother fighting? What's the point when I'm going to be so clean and scented instead of my precious horse poop? I'm so sad. 

Acceptance: 

I guess it's going to be OK. I do feel super soft and moisturized and people always fawn over me after a bath. There's always another day to find horse poop and roll in it! 

Mr. N is a Yorkie/Maltese mix and has hair instead of fur so he gets frequent baths and he goes through this grief process every bath time. To meet his high maintenance grooming needs, we turned to a company that specifically makes grooming products for Yorkies. Yorkie Splash and Shine sent us their shampoo, conditioner and detangling spray to try out.

Mr. N's verdict: 

If I have to be clean, this isn't that bad. All the peoples want to pet me. 

My verdict:

Mr. N is silky and smooth after using the Yorkie Splash and Shine products. The spray helped with untangling all the mats he gets after going out in the rain. It is easy to rinse out but the shampoo and conditioner does not lather as much as other brands we have tried so it can be a little hard at first to gauge how much product to use. 

The scent lingers for several days which is good if you like the sweet, kind of fruity smell. I personally like it but the boyfriend prefers Mr. N's other shampoo which is more of a neutral scent. The organic and natural ingredients are a plus.

My five-year-old cousin who helped me bathe Mr. N's verdict: 

He's so cute and soft!

They also did a Q & A for us about their products.

Q: How would you describe the specific needs of Yorkies (grooming-wise)?
A: Yorkies need special attention paid to their skin and coats for a number of reasons, the most important of which, in my opinion, is that their hair is much like a human's. They have one hair per follicle and their hair continues to grow throughout life. Most dog breeds only grow their fur to a terminating length, at which point the fur will not get any longer. Yorkies, on the other hand, will continue to gain length in the hairs forever. This means regular brushing and washing, even conditioning, is extremely important. 

Q:  What makes your shampoo so suitable for Yorkies?
A: Our shampoo is a natural soap, and it has a high pH, making it perfect for the higher pH skin of dogs. 

Q: Does it work for other breeds as well?
A: Absolutely! Our products work well on all breeds of dogs, even cats. We have many customers who use our products on other breeds of dogs. 

Q:  Do you have other new products you're planning on adding?
A: We are always adding limited edition detangler fragrances. We are also always on the lookout for products our customers would love. Generally, we add products after our customers ask for them. 

This post was sponsored by Yorkie Splash and Shine. They are not responsible for the contents of this article. All opinions expressed are our own. 

Earning His Novice Trick Dog Title

Mr. N waiting for his certificate paperwork to be filled out

Mr. N earned his Novice Trick Dog title recently! I blogged about it previously as a good option for reactive dogs to earn titles.

A flyball team was sponsoring a trick dog tournament as a fundraiser where they set up props and had a certified trick instructor supervising and witnessing. It took place in a warehouse so I thought the dogs would have a lot of space but that wasn't the case. Mr. N had to do his tricks with  strange dogs five feet away from him on three sides and he was super distracted. He managed to pull it together long enough to earn his first trick dog title by doing tricks like high five, pray and play dead.

The dogs have to earn a certain amount of points for each title with advanced tricks counting for more points. For the lower titles, you just need a witness to sign off (there's rumors that this is changing) but for the champion title, you need to send in a video. So you can do them all at home normally.

The novice tricks were not challenging for Mr. N but I was proud that he was able to do them in an extremely distracting environment for him. As a recovering reactive dog, he finds working around other dogs difficult. There was a time when he couldn't have done it. Good boy!

Whirling Banshee

Sage looks unperturbed to have a whirling banshee tailing her every move. Mr. N seems to spend half the time running airborne. Chasing after athletic bigger dogs is one of Mr. N's favorite ways to keep fit. Sometimes he outruns them and then the bigger dogs look quite confused. As one of the other dog owners at the park put it, "it's the first time he's seen a rabbit chasing a dog!"

Training Your Dog During a Hike

Whenever we go out for a hike, I make sure to have plenty of treats on me. Each hike offers lots of opportunities for training especially off-leash ones. Recall is the big one. 

Sometimes the dogs like to go running after prey. And two dogs get into more trouble than just one right? I thought that after a couple weeks of no off-leash time, he might be stir crazy and run wild but Mr. N was good. He had an immediate speedy recall every time he was called. And every time Sage was called as well... he responds to all of her recall cues. He also gets rewarded for checking in with me and he makes sure he knows where I am at all times. 

Mr. N investigating what Sage is up to.

He did roll in some horse poop (his favorite!) ... but he left it when I told him to. His jacket got the brunt of it thankfully. I thought about making him swim in the river to wash it off but it was too cold for him in the water. Sage has a much thicker coat and didn't care. She didn't roll in the horse poop but found some coyote poop to roll in instead.

He was polite with the other dogs (sometimes he is a little too exuberant at the beginning) and had a lot of fun chasing a Frenchie around. It was hilarious watching the two of them play because they looked so different. The Frenchie was stocky and very sturdy looking and Mr. N is lithe and all fluff and legs. 

Needless to say, he got a lot of treats for being good despite the myriad temptations. The dogs burned a lot of calories running around so I wasn't too worried about that. Mr. N was rewarded with Primal Pork Nibs from Chewy.com. They're pretty small and high value (almost pure meat) and Mr. N is very happy to work for them. Their only flaw is that they have to be refrigerated after opening and used within two weeks.

This post was sponsored by Chewy. They are not responsible for the contents of this article. All opinions expressed are our own. 

Don't worry. He did share some treats with Sage. Sage was very worried that she might not get her fair share. She thinks a treat in the hand is worth two in the bush!

How do you train your dogs during a hike? 

The Changing of the Season and Fall Walks

Fall has rapidly swooped in and the rainy deluge has begun here in Portland. Mr. N enjoys the crisp weather and playing in the leaves but he is a soggy wet mess a lot of walks. His paws are getting washed every time he goes for a walk. I'd like to try to squeeze in a couple more hikes before the year is over.

He recently acquired a tiny skateboard in a raffle so I've started training him how to skateboard. So far he will get on the skateboard (two paws and four paws) and stay on it while I move it. We may also work on either a rebound or a handstand as our indoor project this year.

Any fall activities planned with your dogs?

Dog Sports for Reactive Dogs

Having a reactive dog means a lot of the traditional dog world and dog events are shut to you if your dog has trouble controlling themselves around other dogs. And reactive dogs are very often the dogs who need a job. High energy. Sharp. Busy brain.

These days with advances in technology and dog training, there are a lot more options for competing and titling with a reactive dog. Now you can send in a video of your dog performing and your dog can earn titles in a variety of different sports. This is also a great option for people who live far away from dog sport venues. 

Agility: The Virtual Agility League "provides a non-traditional, skills-based agility venue that allows people to submit dog agility performances for review by video. To give reactive or distracted dogs an equal chance to show off their agility skills, and recognition for the people who love and patiently work with them."

Disc Dog: If your dog is a frisbee pro, Pamela Johnson offers disc dog titles by video. She also offers canine freestyle routine and trick titles. 

Musical Freestyle: Dogs and humans show off a dance routine choreographed to music. "Rally Freestyle Elements offers video entries in Musical Freestyle for those that either live too far from live events or for those dogs not suited to the show environment."

Nosework: Nosework is traditionally recommended for reactive dogs, both as a way to build confidence and because the sport is set up to accommodate reactive dogs and their needs. This sport is also good for dogs with various disabilities. 

Parkour: In Dog Parkour, dogs use skills from human parkour and dog agility to overcome obstacles. "Dog Parkour helps with confidence and overcoming fears, and it is a low impact but challenging activity for any canine athlete."

Rally - FrEe:  This sports combines cues from Musical Freestyle and the competition format of Rally-Obedience. "It emphasizes the precise execution of fundamental freestyle and obedience skills while encouraging creative and novel behaviors on a Rally-Obedience style course." 

Trick Dog: Shake. Roll over. Sit pretty. Fetch! Do More With Your Dog! offers trick dog titles from novice to champion.

Photo by Grace W.

Bookstore Display Model

Mr. N practices strength and balance training on top of a tiered bookshelf. He is used to heights but the texture of the bookshelf meant he had to sit with poise. Being a good display model also means having excellent sit/stay skills. Sometimes people mistake him for a stuffed animal.

Does he add to the display?

Too Sick for a Walk

The sick pup in his sick bed.

Mr. N was super listless this morning. Even the walk word wouldn't budge him out of bed and he always wants to go for a walk. He had been having a stomachache for a few days but I took this as a sign that we needed to go to the vet asap.

Luckily, we were able to get a same day appointment and they gave him fluids and anti-nausea medication. When we got home, he decided that he would eat from my hand and ate his first meal in two days.

After lots of napping and another small meal, he had a spurt of energy and ran around the living room chasing a toy for a half hour and demanded his chews. Little Dog is on the mend.